Balenciaga Is Selling a $2,145 Leather Version of the Ikea Tote

Ikea's signature blue tote has always been one of the best parts of the store's shopping experience—second, perhaps, only to the frozen yogurt or the Swedish meatballs. At just 99 cents, it's extremely durable, and it has a Mary Poppins baglike depth that has room enough for all of one's earthly belongings, plus or minus an Ikea inventory. All those perks, and there's no physics-defying, head-scratching assembly required? A true steal.

It seems Balenciaga gets all that, as the fashion label has come out with a new tote of its own, and it should look super-familiar to any purveyors of affordable Swedish housewares. Called the Arena Extra-Large Shopper Tote Bag, Balenciaga's offering shares key similarities with Ikea's Frakta bag. The two share the same bright, royal-blue color, same trapezoidal shape, same wide straps, and same massive size. One massive difference, though: Balenciaga's retails for $2,145 since it's not made from recyclable polypropylene but rather "blue wrinkled, glazed leather." There's also a slight stylistic differentiation, as Balenciaga's bag trades Ikea's large yellow branding over the straps for a small gold label.

Ever the environmentally sustainable company, Ikea is cool with its tote concept being reused, telling Today, "We are deeply flattered that the Balenciaga tote bag resembles the Ikea iconic sustainable blue bag for 99 cents. Nothing beats the versatility of a great big blue bag!" Balenciaga, however, has yet to comment on the similarities.